Influx of Trolls/ Transphobic Posts on These Boards

Appreciate it came across as goady too, which I would probably have realised before hitting post had I not had a couple of glasses of wine that evening. I’m glad it was deleted.

It’s ok Weezol, I forget that although I’ve been here years, this username is very new! I wasn’t offended.

Definitely not a TRA, MN opened my eyes and I hit peak trans a few years back.

Sorry, that sounded a bit lecture ish. Just explaining.

I reported that thread - sadly you posted bang in the middle of a challenging time on MN.

Here's why I reported:

It read very much like a TRA pleading ignorance in order to harvest posts for nefarious purposes, of which there were quite a number at the time of posting.

There was no previous posting history for that user name.

There have been multiple threads recently discussing WTGLWGH and also making it clear that threads about named individuals are goady, not in the spirit and can be legally questionable.

Individual attacks break Talk Guidelines

Posts can be appropriated and edited in order to discredit the GC position and Mumsnet as a whole.

Once these things are on Twitter, IG, FB they can be widely disseminated and used to doxx or SWAT prominent names.

**
So it wasn't just one thing in isolation IYSWIM.

We're walking a very fine line at the moment so that MN can continue to provide a space for all strands of feminism. It's essential to respect that.

I started a thread re trans issues which was deleted for not being in the spirit (I singled on particular person and the thread was a bit ill thought out). Someone accused me of being a troll and it didn’t occur to me until this thread as to why that might be.

I’m really not a troll. I used to post as Alisvolatpropiis but locked myself out of my account hence new username. I posted a quite bit on trans threads in general and occasionally on the Feminism board in general.

Not in favour of thought policing and PC modding….

I'm in favour of free speech for feminists, which can only be guaranteed by feminist aware mods who understand threat attacks - Reddit GC manages it. We seem to do more than our fair share of emotional modding here, which can be very onerous as well as triggering for those who have been in abusive relationships already

Are you in favour of free speech or not?

Think about this carefully. Censorship of any kind is not necessarily helpful and in your interests.

Imagine if some had something truly amazing and worthwhile to add to any thread. You wouldn't be able to hear it.

This ^^

Are you in favour of free speech or not?

Think about this carefully. Censorship of any kind is not necessarily helpful and in your interests.

Imagine if some had something truly amazing and worthwhile to add to any thread. You wouldn't be able to hear it.

Most message boards I've belonged to, new posters are in pre-mod until they've reached a certain number of OK posts. That can't be too difficult to organise.

30 days won't stop the trolls - as Reddit have found out (some subreddits impose minimum time up/karma before being allowed to comment). It makes no difference to the amount of trolls/trolling - the only thing that stops them is informed, active moderation and deletion/banning of them and their tactics.

Trolls aren't like normal users - they'll just set up 10 usernames at once and wait

It's the moderation policies and implementation that need to change here

If it wasn't for the fact we have a lot of serious activism going on at the moment I'd agree a time limit before posting but as other posters have said it would equally prevent people we do want to hear from joining. Jennifer James and others like her would not have been able to join up and post under these rules.

Most of us here are confident in the merit of our arguments so I think we should continue to debate opposing views. Obvious trolls should be ignored and reported.

It's not perfect but nothing ever is and I wouldn't like to see this become a closed off board right now.

I agree with a time limit before being able to post

If TRAs want to make me a target on MN, I can deal with them by reporting offensive posts.

i’m interested in seeing the debate reach a conclusion which serves both women and trans people. Not one that suits the bigoted TRAs. There’s nothing to be gained from giving them attention.
I agree.

This is what the silly TRA need to realise. Most people with gender critical views do not hate trans people.

it suits them to present any criticism of their ideology as transphobia.
If anything good has come of all this nonsense it's that people will be explicit in communicating their issues.

I don’t like the idea of a 30-day restriction. I get that dealing with trolls is exhausting but I think the way we’re already dealing with them is working- calling out and then reporting reporting actually transphobic posts, WTGLWGH, tea and bee detailing, and sounding reasonable and sane. I’ve seen a couple of suspicious threads recently where someone has started a thread in the guise of a genuine poster to bait people into transphobic comments- they didn’t get the reaction they wanted at all and I was very proud of MNetters for responding sanely. We can spot the faker because (surprise) 20 year old student union oiks aren’t very good at pretending to be middle aged women.

I agree that the many threads about LM have been a tad dickish. LM and their cronies are complete wazzocks and should be called out as such, but if there needs to be a thread about LM, focus on their behaviour instead of attacks on personal appearance etc.

I can see your point re new posts but feel being silenced for 30 days isn't free speech. I found mumsnet for the first time because I suddenly peaktransed and really needed to engage because you just dare not talk about it in public. I thought I must be going crazy till I found mumsnet (emporers new clothes feeling). I've got children and I do think as mothers we have a certain edge regarding grasping what being a woman actually is.

I don’t think the threads and posts by trolls have amounted to much.

I do think we should all remain polite and not make personal statements about the likes of LM. They love the attention. Stick to ‘they/them’ and initials are identifying enough. I’m not interested in individuals, i’m interested in seeing the debate reach a conclusion which serves both women and trans people. Not one that suits the bigoted TRAs. There’s nothing to be gained from giving them attention.

I know I posted before in support but actually I think I had slightly misread what was being discussed. I would be in support on a ban on members posting new threads for the first 30 days- not commenting on others. Alternatively (although it would increase moderation) having to have threads started by new users auto moderated by mnhq before being visible.

I do remember the poster on the domestic abuse thread and understand the concerns. However under the proposed new rules she could still have posted in relationships or elsewhere on the boards and still reached support.

I'm more in favour of the auto mod thing probably. It would stop the overnight issues at least.

In recent months I've seen Jennifer James, Dr Nicola Williams and Jean Hatchet joining/rejoining and posting on here. A 30 day rule would have affected them too.

I've never seen Julie Bindel post on here but what if she wanted to join in the thread about the Bristol meeting?

The more I think about it, the more it feels like an own goal that would only serve make TRA trolls feel important.

This ^^

Bertrand speaks a lot of sense, as always.

Yeah I've noticed this.

"At this point restricting commenting by new registrants is the opposite of what the MNHQ team has decided on."

I can't say I'd like it, but I wouldn't begrudge it.

(plus, I am really a nigerian prince with a temporary banking problem)

I don't think posting restrictions are necessary. Let's just go on sounding as sane as possible, allow our opponents to do their thing and let history (and the lurkers) judge us all.

I support free speech and letting pillocks post if they want. They usually reveal their true colours and as long as we don't encourage them and report if they're offensive or argue back I don't see it harming us.
I spotted one as I'm on a different time zone atm. I didn't report as I don't think I've ever reported anyone. They're capable of hanging themselves.